scholarly journals Effects of elevated nest box temperature on incubation behaviour and offspring fitness-related traits in the Collared Flycatcher Ficedula albicollis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aneta Arct ◽  
Rafał Martyka ◽  
Szymon M. Drobniak ◽  
Wioleta Oleś ◽  
Anna Dubiec ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Ficedula Albicollis ◽  
Nest Box ◽  
Collared Flycatcher ◽  
Offspring Fitness ◽  
Egg Incubation ◽  
Fitness Consequences ◽  
Incubation Behaviour ◽  
Nest Microclimate ◽  
Developmental Conditions

AbstractAmbient temperature experienced by an animal during development or subsequently as an adult can affect many aspects of its behaviour and life-history traits. In birds, egg incubation is a vital component of reproduction and parental care. Several studies have suggested that environmental factors (such as nest microclimate) can influence the ability of incubating parents to maintain suitable conditions for embryo development. Here, we manipulated the developmental conditions of embryos through a modification of nest box thermal microclimate to investigate female incubation behaviour and its impact on offspring fitness-related traits in a wild population of the Collared Flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis). The temperature in experimental nests was increased using a heat-pack placed under the roof of a nest box, resulting in an average temperature increase of 2.5 ºC, which corresponds to projected climate change scenarios. We demonstrated that females from nests with elevated temperature spent less time in the nest box during egg incubation and had more off-bouts than females from control nests. Moreover, we found that offspring from the experimentally heated nests had larger body mass at fledging in comparison to the control ones. Our study indicates that nest microclimate during the incubation period affects female incubation behaviour and offspring quality, indicating that environmental variation in nest temperature early in ontogeny can have important and long-lasting fitness consequences.

scholarly journals Nestling telomere shortening, but not telomere length, reflects developmental stress and predicts survival in wild birds

2014 ◽  
Vol 281 (1785) ◽  
pp. 20133287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jelle J. Boonekamp ◽  
G. A. Mulder ◽  
H. Martijn Salomons ◽  
Cor Dijkstra ◽  
Simon Verhulst
Keyword(s):  
Telomere Length ◽  
Brood Size ◽  
Developmental Stress ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Telomere Shortening ◽  
Developmental Effects ◽  
Fitness Consequences ◽  
Developmental Conditions ◽  
Fledgling Mass

Developmental stressors often have long-term fitness consequences, but linking offspring traits to fitness prospects has remained a challenge. Telomere length predicts mortality in adult birds, and may provide a link between developmental conditions and fitness prospects. Here, we examine the effects of manipulated brood size on growth, telomere dynamics and post-fledging survival in free-living jackdaws. Nestlings in enlarged broods achieved lower mass and lost 21% more telomere repeats relative to nestlings in reduced broods, showing that developmental stress accelerates telomere shortening. Adult telomere length was positively correlated with their telomere length as nestling ( r = 0.83). Thus, an advantage of long telomeres in nestlings is carried through to adulthood. Nestling telomere shortening predicted post-fledging survival and recruitment independent of manipulation and fledgling mass. This effect was strong, with a threefold difference in recruitment probability over the telomere shortening range. By contrast, absolute telomere length was neither affected by brood size manipulation nor related to survival. We conclude that telomere loss, but not absolute telomere length, links developmental conditions to subsequent survival and suggest that telomere shortening may provide a key to unravelling the physiological causes of developmental effects on fitness.

scholarly journals Sex-biased gene expression, sexual antagonism and levels of genetic diversity in the collared flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis) genome

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (18) ◽  
pp. 3572-3581 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ludovic Dutoit ◽  
Carina F. Mugal ◽  
Paulina Bolívar ◽  
Mi Wang ◽  
Krystyna Nadachowska-Brzyska ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Ficedula Albicollis ◽  
Sexual Antagonism ◽  
Collared Flycatcher

scholarly journals ‘Green incubation': avian offspring benefit from aromatic nest herbs through improved parental incubation behaviour

2018 ◽  
Vol 285 (1880) ◽  
pp. 20180376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helga Gwinner ◽  
Pablo Capilla-Lasheras ◽  
Caren Cooper ◽  
Barbara Helm
Keyword(s):  
Strong Support ◽  
Nest Attendance ◽  
Artificial Nests ◽  
Avian Embryos ◽  
Critical Thresholds ◽  
Offspring Fitness ◽  
Incubation Behaviour ◽  
Thermal Changes ◽  
Aromatic Herbs ◽  
Study Species

Development of avian embryos requires thermal energy, usually from parents. Parents may, however, trade off catering for embryonic requirements against their own need to forage through intermittent incubation. This dynamically adjusted behaviour can be affected by properties of the nest. Here, we experimentally show a novel mechanism by which parents, through incorporation of aromatic herbs into nests, effectively modify their incubation behaviour to the benefit of their offspring. Our study species, the European starling, includes in its nest aromatic herbs which promote offspring fitness. We provided wild starlings with artificial nests including or excluding the typically selected fresh herbs and found strong support for our prediction of facilitated incubation. Herb effects were not explained by thermal changes of the nests per se , but by modified parental behaviours. Egg temperatures and nest attendance were higher in herb than herbless nests, egg temperatures dropped less frequently below critical thresholds and parents started their active day earlier. These effects were dynamic over time and particularly strong during early incubation. Incubation period was shorter in herb nests, and nestlings were heavier one week after hatching. Aromatic herbs hence influenced incubation in beneficial ways for offspring, possibly through pharmacological effects on incubating parents.

scholarly journals Effects of Environmental Conditions and Parental Quality on Inter- and Intraclutch Egg-Size Variation in the Collared Flycatcher (Ficedula Albicollis)

The Auk ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 122 (2) ◽  
pp. 509-522 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rita Hargitai ◽  
János Török ◽  
László Tóth ◽  
Gergely Hegyi ◽  
Balázs Rosivall ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Egg Size ◽  
Size Variation ◽  
Laying Date ◽  
Life History Trait ◽  
Ficedula Albicollis ◽  
Collared Flycatcher ◽  
Egg Formation ◽  
Adaptive Explanation ◽  
Breeding Condition

AbstractEgg size is a particularly important life-history trait mediating maternal influences on offspring phenotype. Females can vary their egg-size investment in relation to environmental circumstances, their own breeding condition, and the quality of their mate. Here we analyzed inter- and intraclutch variation in egg size in the Collared Flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis) on the basis of eight years of data. According to our results, mean egg size increased with female condition, but did not differ among young, middle-aged, and old females. The male’s age, body size, and forehead patch size did not influence egg size; thus, we found no evidence for differential investment in egg size in relation to male quality. We found no effect of laying date on egg size when controlling for ambient temperature during the egg formation period, yet temperature had a significant effect on egg size. That result indicates proximate constraints on egg formation. Furthermore, we report on annual differences in intraclutch egg-size variation. Egg size increased within clutches in years with a warm prelaying period; whereas in years when the weather during that period was cold, there was no significant intraclutch trend. Proximate considerations seem to explain the observed patterns of intraclutch egg-size variation; however, we cannot reject the adaptive explanation. Mean egg size and intraclutch egg-size variation were unrelated to clutch size. Therefore, we found no evidence for a trade-off between size and number of eggs within a clutch.

Maternal compensation for hatching asynchrony in the collared flycatcher Ficedula albicollis

2005 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
pp. 060118052425007-??? ◽  
Author(s):  
Balazs Rosivall ◽  
Eszter Szollosi ◽  
Janos Torok
Keyword(s):  
Hatching Asynchrony ◽  
Ficedula Albicollis ◽  
Collared Flycatcher

scholarly journals Body-mass Changes in Female Collared Flycatchers: State-dependent Strategy

The Auk ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 118 (2) ◽  
pp. 550-552 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariusz Cichoń
Keyword(s):  
Mass Loss ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Adaptive Strategy ◽  
Ficedula Albicollis ◽  
Prolonged Incubation ◽  
Collared Flycatcher ◽  
State Dependent ◽  
Adverse Weather ◽  
Body Mass Changes

Abstract Collared Flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis) females experimentally were forced to prolong their incubation to address the question whether mass constancy during incubation and subsequent mass loss after hatching is actually related to breeding stage. Compared to unmanipulated control females a week after expected hatching, experimental females did not show any significant mass loss during prolonged incubation, whereas control females that successfully hatched their eggs dropped their mass significantly. Results show that body mass in females is associated with the reproductive stage and may reflect an adaptive strategy. High and stable incubation mass can be a fasting endurance in case of adverse weather conditions when females stay on the nest instead of foraging.

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